Introduction
Identity Verification of tenant with the help of professional crime investigating agencies have been overlooked from many years. The Current challenges before landlords when tenants turn out to be criminals have been a known phenomenon by now. As there are several incidents in which police authorities booked owners of the properties and even tenants who were lacking required identity credentials. Sometimes notifications were sent under Section 35(3) of Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. An effort has been made to understand the seriousness of this issue by exploring various facts. The significance of tenant verification for the landlord will explained in this blog.
Know Your Tenant; Criminals Use Fake IDs
It is high time that Landowners should understand how eleven month’s rent agreements are made on the basis of forged documents submitted by the Tenants that are prepared by some master forgers.
A counterfeit passport and a phony Aadhaar card were used by an assistant of the murdered criminals Jaipal Singh Bhullar, Jaspreet Singh Bhullar, and Jaspreet Singh Jassi to rent a one-bedroom apartment at the expansive Shukhobrishti housing complex in New Town Action Area III in West Bengal, India.
Another incident reported that around 45 households and business owners lost RM8.5 million in power costs as a result of their tenants allegedly using their identities to mine Bitcoin illegally. The victims told Free Malaysia Today (FMT) that they were not aware of the illegal actions until they got letters from Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB), which left many of them emotionally and financially devastated.
Is it Mandatory to Do Tenant Identity Verification?
The Mysuru City Police implemented strict measures, known as Suraksha to check the background of tenants who rent homes within the city limits after the arrest of Mangaluru cooker bomb suspect Mohammad Shariq, who had rented a home in Lokanayakanagar, close to Metagalli. Two types of forms were introduced by the police: Suraksha-1 for property owners who rent or lease their homes, and Suraksha-2 for individuals who operate Paying Guest (PG) lodgings, which includes home stays and any living places that are rented. Before the end of December of this year, landlords were required by City Police Commissioner Ramesh Banoth to confirm the identification of their renters.
Foreign Criminals in Nepal
Records from Nepal Police Headquarters show that 480 foreign nationals have been implicated in crimes in Nepal during the past three and a half years. between the fiscal years 2077–2078 BS and the current fiscal year 2080–2081 BS. The bulk of them are Indian (192), followed by Chinese (84), and Bangladeshi (32) citizens.
legal concerns can be avoided by landlords by carrying out comprehensive background checks and verifications. In order to make sure they are renting their premises to trustworthy, responsible people, landlords and property owners must verify their tenants. Potential problems like late rent payments, property damage. In addition to giving landlords piece of mind, this procedure guarantees tenants a positive renting experience.
Verification of tenants is a preventative measure. Preventing the rental of criminals and antisocial people is the main objective of this verification. Regardless of the cause, the district police are allowed to maintain an exhaustive record of all people who relocate from their hometowns to other places. The owner of the property who lawfully rents out the space has no right to find out about a person's background.
Conclusion
Thus, Tenant’s ID Verification is not a choice but should be made mandatory to safeguard the community from future threats. Apartments are being rented out as a result. Ensuring that tenant police verification is completed beforehand is essential. In order to prevent any issues while renting out a home, the government has put in place the whole tenant police verification procedure. The Model Tenancy Act introduced by the government in 2019 to make renting easy for everyone, makes tenant police verification a major part of the legislation.
References:
Banerjeee, T. (2021) “Slain Gangsters’ aide used fake ID Proof to Rent Flat in Kolkata” online accessed on 15.02.25 from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/slain-gangsters-aide-used-fake-id-proof-to-rent-flat/articleshow/83415166.cms
The Hindu Bureau (2022) “Mysuru city police makes tenants’ identity verification process mandatory” online accessed on 15.02.25 from https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/mysuru-city-police-makes-tenants-identity-verification-process-mandatory/article66188160.ece
Paudyal, A. (2024) “Foreign criminals: Nepal’s growing security challenge” online accessed on 15.02.25 from https://theannapurnaexpress.com/story/48837/
Star of Mysore (2025) “Poor response for tenants’ identity verification process” online accessed on 15.02.25 from https://starofmysore.com/poor-response-for-tenants-identity-verification-process/
Malay Mail, Malaysia (2025) “Illegal Bitcoin mining saddle landlords with massive RM8.5m TNB debt” online accessed on 15.02.25 from https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/01/24/illegal-bitcoin-mining-saddle-landlords-with-massive-rm85m-tnb-debt/164472
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